Dance With the Devil
by FalconStorm
Summary: While infiltrating Weston College, Ciel runs across a boy doing his own investigation into the mysterious principal. This stranger is more than he at first appears and may hold the key to solving a problem that Ciel didn't even know he had. No pairings to speak of, just a good, old fashioned story.
1. Cutting a Deal

**Summary: While infiltrating Weston College, Ciel runs across a boy doing his own investigation into the mysterious principal. This stranger is more than he at first appears and may hold the key to solving a problem that Ciel didn't even know he had. No pairings to speak of, just a good, old fashioned story.**

**Hello, all. Welcome to ****Dance With the Devil****, my first Kuroshitsuji fanfic. Technically, this will be alternate universe, but only because the manga is not complete and as soon as a new chapter is put out, this story is going to deviate from the manga. Other than that, I'm going to try to follow the manga from chapters 1-75 as cannon. Some concepts may be my own interpretation and may end up proven wrong in new chapters as Yana Toboso goes on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: Kuroshitsuji and all characters contained therein do not belong to me and I make no money off of the writing of this fanfic. More's the pity. *grin***

**Ch. 1: Cutting a Deal**

"A contract with a demon, eh?"

Ciel Phantomhive froze, not moving from his position, hunched over a notebook and the volume of European history he was studying. He knew his marked eye wasn't visible. He could feel the straps of his eye patch pressing into his skin. Not that it usually mattered. In this age of enlightenment, the number of humans that even believed in demons was dropping by the day. Most people just thought he had an unfortunate defect when they saw his eye.

"It's well established, too. How long has he been waiting for your soul?"

"I beg your pardon." Ciel turned, glaring at the boy leaning against the bookcase with an impish smile plastered across his face. He had pale green eyes and dark, almost black hair pulled back into a braid at the base of his neck. He wore the standard school uniform and pronounced canines peeked out from under his upper lip. Was he a demon, himself?

"Oh, don't play coy, Ciel Phantomhive. I can see the seal branded into your soul. I've never seen a binding so tight. He owns you lock, stock and barrel, eh?"

Ciel narrowed his eye at the cocky boy.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, how rude of me," the boy said, pushing away from the bookshelf with an insincere smirk. "My name is Zebulon Butterfield. At your service." He gave a brief, mocking bow.

"That, sir, is quite possibly the most ridiculous name I have ever heard."

"And Ciel Phantomhive is better?"

"It at least has dignity, and history…Mr. Butterfield."

"Please, call me Zeb. Everyone does." The boy grinned, revealing that his pronounced canines were not, in fact, fangs, but an illusion caused by the crookedness of the rest of his teeth. Ciel lifted his lip in a sneer.

"I hardly think it appropriate to speak on such familiar terms with someone who obviously lacks any training in proper deportment." Ciel lifted his head so he could appear to look down his nose at the presumptuous twit.

"Oh, you truly are the pompous ass, aren't you? I'd love to be a fly on the wall when your demon sucks that arrogant soul down," Zeb said, but his eyes belied the angry words, twinkling with mirth and good humor.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Ciel looked back down at his studies, effectively dismissing the lout. Zeb snorted with laughter and the young human's teeth clenched. He very dearly wanted to summon Sebastian and put the arrogant prick in his place, but Zeb already knew more than he should.

"Oh, I shouldn't laugh. I can only imagine what horror you suffered to make such a contract appealing…unless you're one of those idiots just looking for a quick path to power and wealth? But…no. You don't seem the type. Power, you have as a Phantomhive…and wealth." Zeb sighed and sat down across from Ciel, holding a hand out across the table. "Truce? I mean you and your demon no harm. I wouldn't have bothered you at all, except….I could use your help."

Ciel stared at the offered hand as though it held a fistful of rotting garbage. With a sigh, the older boy took his hand back.

"I suppose it's too much to ask of the great Phantomhive." He rested his head against his palm, propped up on the table. The fingers of his other hand drummed on the polished wooden surface as he stared across the library, deep in thought.

"What _are_ you?"

Zeb glanced over, a smile creasing his cheeks.

"I thought you might catch on quickly, and I suppose, since I know your secret, I owe you mine."

"Are you a grim reaper?" Ciel asked, instantly on the defensive.

"A landscaper?! Oh hell, no!" Zeb laughed. He seemed a very merry sort…in a rather dark and twisted way. "No. They want nothing to do with me and mine, although I suppose we do have a bit in common. They'd never admit it, though. No, I'm a dhampir."

"A…what?" Ciel's flat tone and furrowed brow made Zeb scowl.

"Oh, come, now. You know the truth about demons and grim reapers. Is it such a stretch to believe that vampires and their half-human bastards are real?"

"I suppose not, but…can you prove it?"

Zeb chuckled and his bright green eyes seemed to darken, thick lashes lowering over those peridot irises.

"Oh, you don't want me to do that. You'd be out of commission for the rest of the day and then I'd have to fight it out with your demon. I really don't feel like dying today."

"If you're so powerful, what do you need me for?" Ciel asked, scowling.

"Well, it's not so much _you_ as your demon. Power, I have. Subtlety, not so much. I'm investigating the principal here. Now, I could bull my way through to his office, but that wouldn't guarantee me the answers I need and it would, most likely, leave a swath of corpses and invalids in my wake. Not to mention, my particular brand of power only works on certain creatures. Not knowing exactly what the principal _is_, I think it's best if I have more information first."

"What he is?" Ciel frowned. Zeb's words matched some of his own suspicions, namely that the principal was no more human than Sebastian. Could that have anything to do with the students he was there to find and question? It seemed unlikely that the two would be unrelated. "What are you offering?"

Zeb sighed.

"You couldn't just be willing to do a favor for a friend?"

Ciel gave him the look he so richly deserved. Besides not considering the dhampir anything near a friend, no one knew better than he that nothing in life came free.

"No, I suppose not. Well, there is one thing I could do for you, but I'm not sure you'd be interested. After all, most humans don't care much about a _starving_ demon." He sighed and shook his head. "I shouldn't have even bothered."

Zeb stood, turning to go and Ciel almost let him leave, but…

"What do you mean by 'starving demon'?"

The dhampir paused, looking over his shoulder at the Lord Phantomhive. The wary tone of the boy's voice told him more than Ciel could ever guess. No one sounded like that unless they truly cared about the subject in question.

Zeb eased back into the chair, one eyebrow lifted in curiosity.

"I suppose you can't see it, being only human. Your demon is practically wasting away for want of food. They don't need much, but the more power they use, the sooner they need to feed. I don't know what you've done to yours, but he's running low. _Very_ low."

Ciel scowled at the dhampir. He wanted to argue the point, but his mind went back to the Campania, the blow Sebastian had taken from Undertaker's death scythe and the battle with the zombies in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic that followed. He remembered how the demon had coughed blood…a condition he'd only ever faked, before. He'd rested when he came home, but Ciel couldn't remember him ever eating anything.

"That's utterly ridiculous," Ciel said, ever the stubborn one. "He is free to feed any time he wants."

"Is he?" Zeb laughed and sighed, his face that of a tutor with a particularly dense student. "His contract is with _you_. His next meal is _your_ soul, correct?"

"Yes."

"Then how can he feed on anything else? He must see the contract through to earn his next meal. Why else would a demon ever bother answering to a lowly human? Even if he took another soul, now, it would be like drinking water to sate a bone-deep hunger. Only a contracted soul can truly satisfy and a demon can only hold one contract at a time. No one can serve two masters."

Ciel glared at Zeb. His hand itched to lash out and strike that condescending look from the dhampir's face.

"And what do _you_ know of demons?"

Zeb laughed and bared his crooked teeth at Ciel.

"What _don't_ I know? My family has hunted the inhuman creatures of this world for centuries. Our library is…extensive."

Ciel looked away, glaring at the books lining the shelves. Sebastian hadn't said a word…but, then, he wouldn't. If he tried to consume Ciel's soul, now, he would break the contract, and if what Zeb said was true, it would no longer satisfy if he did that. Could the demon die of starvation? Ciel had never thought to ask.

"You still haven't told me what you're offering."

Zeb grinned. Ciel hadn't actually agreed to the deal, but he knew the boy was interested. Now, to set the hook.

"I have a…unique ability. I can harvest a piece of your soul for your demon to consume. It is not a pleasant experience, but it would leave you alive and only a bit weakened for a limited time. The soul will regenerate over time. Because it is not your entire soul, it would not break the contract for your demon to consume what I harvest, but since it _is_ under contract, it would help to restore him."

Ciel frowned as he thought the proposal over. He couldn't be sure that Zeb was trustworthy. After all, the older boy wanted something from him. And yet…there had been something off about Sebastian since they returned from the North Atlantic. He could happily kill the demon for keeping this from him…and very well might, if he didn't do something about it, now.

"I will agree to this, on one condition."

Zeb lifted an eyebrow in inquiry.

"The demon will be here and under orders from me to destroy you if _anything_ you have said turns out to be false."

"Fair enough," Zeb said with a nod. "My life for yours if you find me to be duplicitous and your demon freed to find a decent meal."

Ciel wasn't sure he liked how the dhampir phrased that, but Sebastian had sworn never to lie to him. He didn't trust much, but he _did_ trust the contract. Reaching up, he pulled the patch away from his marked eye.

"Sebastian, come to me."

"My Lord." The demon appeared from the shadows as though he'd been there all along, his black warden's robes billowing around him. He spotted Zeb and stopped, eyes growing wide. Ciel's marked eye blazed in plain sight.

Recovering quickly, the demon bowed, gloved hand across his chest.

"Ah…here might not be the best place," Zeb said, eyeing the demon. He'd known that Warden Michaelis was Ciel's demon, but being in the creature's presence when it must know the cat was out of the bag was a little unsettling.

"Why not?" Ciel asked, giving the dhampir a sharp look.

Zeb shook off his unsettled feeling and directed a smug smile at the boy.

"Because we'll need a place where no one can hear you scream."

**A/N: The dhampirs and vampires in this fanfic are of my own creation and concept, so this is not a crossover piece. They should not match exactly any concept in any other story, especially the dhampirs. I don't think I've ever run across a dhampir that can take a soul. If anyone has seen a similar concept somewhere, please point me there. I'd be interested to see it.**


	2. A Bit of Soul

**Ch. 2: A Bit of Soul**

Water lapped at the dock pylons, creating a gentle susurration of sound. Ciel stared up at a half moon riding in a cloud-studded sky. The lights of the school shone in the distance, the lake's expanse between them and any prying ears. He still hadn't told Sebastian what this was about, only ordered him to take them to the kind of place Zeb suggested. The demon watched him, loathe to ask, even as curiosity ate at him.

Anyone that didn't know the demon might see only a patiently attentive servant, but Ciel could almost _feel_ the impatience rolling off the creature. He rounded on his demon, brows drawn down in a scowl.

"You swore never to lie to me, Sebastian."

"Indeed, my Lord," the demon said with a frown.

"Then answer me this. Did you take greater harm from the Undertaker's death scythe than you have shown? Are you starving?"

Sebastian scowled, glancing at Zeb, the human he'd never seen before, but seemed to be central to whatever plan his master had concocted, this time.

"_Starvation_ is a rather strong term, young master. I am, however, a bit…peckish."

Zeb laughed.

"Skating on thin ice there, aren't you, demon?" The dhampir stalked down the dock, unfazed by Sebastian's sudden glare. "I can see your true self, even if _he_ can't. The skin over bone look is unbecoming for one of your stature."

"Dhampir." Sebastian growled the word. Only one thing in the world could see past a demon's glamourie and still pass for human. He stepped in front of Ciel, easing down into a defensive crouch. His eyes flared a livid red with snake-slit pupils. Jagged fangs peeked out between those elegant lips. Zeb brought his hands up, showing them to be empty as he came to a stop.

"I mean no harm on you or your master. Or, rather, I mean no harm that does not also benefit everyone involved."

"Sebastian!" Ciel's angry, demanding voice brought the demon out of his defensive crouch. His back straightened, chin up, glaring disapproval down his nose. The human boy stalked around him, glaring up at his servant. "Have you lied to me?"

"No, my Lord." Sebastian's glare consumed the dhampir, barely restrained fury dancing in those red eyes.

"Of course he hasn't," Zeb said with a chuckle, "but only because demons define hunger differently than a human. They cannot truly _die_, not like a human can, so starvation as we understand it can never apply to a demon. I simply used that word so you could understand the level of hunger he's suffering."

Ciel looked up at his demon, his expression hard.

"Is what he says true?"

Sebastian's lips peeled back, revealing jagged, wickedly sharp fangs. Compelled by the contract, he had to answer.

"Yes, young lord. I hunger." Those livid red eyes shifted to the boy at his side, the voice that dark, haunting growl he'd used on the day they formed the contract. "I would consume you in a heartbeat were the contract fulfilled this moment."

Any other human might flee at the raw hunger in the demon's eyes, no longer hidden, now that the truth lay bare between them. A normal person might at a least take a step back in uncertainty. Ciel met his demon's hungry eyes and simply nodded.

"Sebastian, this is an order. You will guard me as Zebulon completes our agreement. You will not interfere with what he is doing unless at any point, it appears he will kill me."

Sebastian's eyes narrowed. He knew what Zeb was and what he could do. He thought he might know what this was about and he didn't like it one bit. Even as his black heart danced at the thought of tasting that soul he coveted so, a part of him cringed from the risk…the pain Ciel would suffer through. Still. An order was an order. Crossing an arm over his chest, the demon bowed low.

"Yes, my Lord."

Zeb glanced between the demon and his master, frowning. The dynamics here were all wrong. The only reason for the demon to hide his hunger from the human was so he wouldn't spook his prey into finding a way to renege on the contract…but Ciel didn't spook, and Sebastian didn't seem surprised by that. The demon should be lunging at the chance to consume even a taste of Ciel's soul in his starved state, but he hung back, angry and obviously disapproving. If Zeb didn't believe demons to be incapable of the higher emotions, he would almost think that Sebastian _cared_ for his young master.

No. Such was not possible.

"Come to the gazebo. You'll need to sit."

Ciel followed the dhampir, Sebastian trailing behind them. His eyes glowed softly in the thick darkness, trained on the dhampir and looking for any excuse to destroy the creature that would harm his master.

"Sit." Zeb gestured at the benches lining the inside of the gazebo. Ciel's chin lifted, loathe to take an order from anyone he considered his inferior, but he bit his lip on a retort. After all, they had an agreement. He sat.

Zeb leaned over the young Lord Phantomhive, pressing a palm into the boy's shoulder to hold him in place. He placed a knee on the seat next to Ciel's leg to brace himself. Behind him, a low growl trickled out of Sebastian's throat.

"I suggest you keep quiet, demon. This requires precision and concentration."

The growl's volume lessened, but it was still faintly audible. Deciding that was the best he would get, Zeb closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them again, a layer of light and color covered the world like a shining, tie-dyed sheet. A brilliant ball of white light nestled in the hollow of Ciel's throat, shot through with the orange and red of pain and loss. So much _pain_ for someone so young. How did he wake up and _live_ every day? Ah. There. Hatred, determination, and bound around it all, the dark thorns of the demon contract. So deep. The thorns pierced to the core of the boy's soul. Only a soul freely given with no regret could be pierced so deeply. No wonder the demon coveted it so. This represented a feast to one of Sebastian's ilk.

Reaching up, Zeb stroked a finger over the knot of light. Ciel gasped, eyes flying wide. There was no describing the sensation, like anxiety mixed with joy and a faint tugging deep in his chest, and yet none of it adequately explained the feeling. It didn't hurt…and then Zeb sank two fingers into the glowing knot. Ciel's back arched, eyes rolling up in his head as an agonized scream ripped out of his throat. It was pain and terror, loss and panic, but nothing words could truly describe. Tendrils of white agony snaked through his veins and his breathing picked up, a scream erupting with each exhale. He thought he might hyperventilate and he almost welcomed the loss of consciousness it would bring.

Behind Zeb, Sebastian's glowing red eyes watched his every move. White-gloved hands clenched, itching to wrap around the dhampir's throat as his master's screams echoed around them.

Zeb grit his teeth, tuning out the screaming as he hooked his fingers through the knot, like grabbing a bit of sticky, filmy spider web. He tugged, separating a small glob from the bulk of the shining mass. Ciel's screams ended on a choked sound, his hands scrabbling futilely at the wooden seat. He gasped for breath, lungs seized up around the sheer agony. Zeb closed his fist around the chunk of soul and twisted, severing it from the main mass.

The boy's body collapsed back under him, hands scrabbling at his throat as he wheezed in a desperate attempt to draw air into his lungs. Sebastian shoved Zeb aside, pulling a small glass bottle out of his robes. Using his teeth to pull the glove off his right hand, he clutched the bottle in his palm and pulled the cork out. Reaching out, he hooked a hand behind Ciel's neck and covered the bottle's opening with his thumb, flipping it over to get a dollop of the contents on his skin. Deftly, he smeared the strong, minty oil across Ciel's bottom lip and over the skin just under his nose.

"Concentrate and breathe," he said, setting the bottle down and placing his hand on the boy's chest. He pressed gently, giving Ciel a rhythm to follow. The boy fought to draw breath, inhaling the menthol-laced fumes from the oil. He wheezed and coughed, tears leaking from the corners of his eyes. He gulped a breath down and coughed it back out. Two gasping heaves followed by another cough and he sagged against Sebastian's grip. The demon fetched the bottle again, painting a new layer of the oil over his master's lip. He watched Ciel closely as the boy coughed and gasped in deep, cleansing breaths. Ciel took a deep, full breath and shoved Sebastian off of him leaning forward to brace his elbows against his knees, concentrating on taking more full, deep breaths. He despised the weakness his illness forced him to display and fought the bone-deep exhaustion the whole ordeal had brought on him.

Zeb watched the scene, jaw sagging in shock. The boy had asthma. Death by such an illness could conceivably count as a natural death, allowing the demon to consume the soul he craved. Every demon contract had a clause to cover natural death before the requirements were met. No self respecting demon would allow a soul to slip through their fingers on such a loophole. But Sebastian had _saved_ his master from an attack. Impossible. And yet…

Ciel sat up, taking a full breath, the air wheezing through his lungs but moving easily.

"Give it to him, Zeb."

The dhampir blinked and looked down at the chunk of soul still gripped in his hand. He'd completely forgotten about it. Sebastian turned and his eyes dropped to the bit of soul, his prize. A pink tongue flicked out between his lips, wetting them. He couldn't tear his eyes away from it now that his master's life was no longer in danger.

Zeb collected the trailing strands of soul like rolling soft taffy pulled from the spindle. He bundled it into a small glowing ball and presented it to the demon.

Sebastian swallowed, a drop of drool spilling from the corner of his mouth. He ducked his head to Zeb's palm, lips pursed to sip from the glob of light. Like savoring a fine wine, he took enough to coat his tongue and his eyes closed in bliss as he rolled the taste around his palate and swallowed.

Ciel let himself collapse back against the gazebo's half wall, exhaustion washing over him as he watched his demon consume that bit of soul. To his eyes, nothing rested on Zeb's palm but empty air, but there was no doubt that the demon was eating _something_. Sebastian grabbed for Zeb's wrist as he sipped the last of the glowing substance down. He held the dhampir's limb in an iron grip as his tongue flicked out to swipe over the palm, collecting every last trace of soul.

Zeb shivered as the demon's tongue tickled over his palm. He closed his eyes, fighting the urge to jerk his hand back. At last, that grip released him and he opened his eyes to find Sebastian licking his lips like a cat with cream. He blinked glowing, sated red eyes and nodded at Zeb before turning to Ciel who had fallen asleep, slumped on the gazebo seat.

What was that nod about? Thanks? Acknowledgement that the dhampir wouldn't die…tonight? Zeb had no idea.

Sebastian stooped to gather the sleeping Ciel in his arms. He looked so tiny nestled there. One could easily forget how small he was against the force of his domineering personality, but in the end, he was a thirteen year old boy that had been through more than most adults could be expected to handle.

"He's going to need rest and peace. It would probably be best if he rests all day tomorrow," Zeb said.

"I will see to it," Sebastian said with a dip of his head. He turned and hurried down the steps of the gazebo, flitting around the lake at demonic speed. Zeb followed at a more human pace, taking the time to puzzle over the mystery of Ciel Phantomhive and his demon.

**A/N: I hope everyone enjoys this. I had entirely too much fun writing Ciel's pain. O.o Please review, even if it's to say I got everything wrong. I can't improve without feedback. Thank you to everyone that reads. I have plans to further this, but the total plot still needs to coalesce. Thank you for your patience.**


	3. Sacrificial Pawn

**So, my apologies for a semi-late chapter. I meant to have this up last night, but it decided to be stubborn. See my author's note at the end for more details.**

**Thank you to everyone that has reviewed and followed! I try to respond to reviews via PM if the review is not anonymous. *hugs all around***

**Ch. 3: Sacrificial Pawn**

Ciel woke to an ache he couldn't fully describe. It centered somewhere around the top of his sternum and radiated down into his gut. He blinked at the sun streaming through the window and tried to remember what had caused it. Something to do with Sebastian dying. No. Demons couldn't die. Sebastian _starving_.

It all came back in a rush. The deal. The dhampir. And the most excruciating pain he had ever experienced. He pushed himself into a sitting position, gritting his teeth against the ache and the bone-deep weariness that rushed through him.

Unacceptable. He had to go to class and find a way to supplant Clayton as Bluer's fag. He couldn't spend his day laying about.

"My lord, I think it's best if you continue to rest." Sebastian seemed to appear out of nowhere, a white-gloved hand pressing him back down to the bed. He scowled up at the demon and then realized he wasn't in his dorm room.

"Sebastian, where am I? What's the meaning of this?"

"You are in the warden's bed chambers at blue house. It is traditionally acceptable for an ill student to stay in the warden's suite so they won't be disturbed by the hustle and bustle of the normal dorm rooms."

"I am _not_ ill." Ciel threw the blankets back and tried to slide out of the bed, but found himself pitching forward toward the floor. He made a grab for the sheet, but missed, instead tumbling to the ground and landing unceremoniously on his backside. His cheeks flamed with humiliation and he glared up at his demon. Sebastian simply quirked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to stand under his own power as he professed he could. Only now, in this undignified position, could he feel just how deep his weariness went. There would be no classes for him today. He wasn't even sure he could get himself back into the bed, loathe though he was to admit it.

"Return me to the bed, Sebastian," the boy said, crossing his arms with his nose in the air.

"Yes, my lord." Sebastian bowed low, an irritating smirk on his face. He stooped to gather his young master in his arms and set him on the bed with the utmost care.

"Oh, stop treating me like an invalid." Ciel batted the demon's hands away and made a point of arranging _himself_ under the blankets. Sebastian simply stood by and watched the boy struggle with the heavy bedclothes. "Bring me Earl Grey. And scones. Cinnamon."

"As you wish, my lord." Sebastian bowed and left the room. Ciel tugged at the coverlet a couple more times and then sighed with an irritated scowl. It still wasn't right.

XXXX

Zeb grabbed another piece of toast and scowled at the mutterings around him about 'Phantomhive's weak constitution'. He didn't know Ciel well, but he suspected the earl's pride would not bear up well under the whispers. The stormy look on Clayton's face didn't bode well for the young Lord Phantomhive, either. Making a quick decision, he wolfed down the piece of toast and rose from his seat.

"Ah, Clayton. Sorry to interrupt." Zeb smiled with a small bow to the upper classman. "Phantomhive asked me to extend his sincerest apologies for his absence today. He took quite a tumble helping me reach a book on the top shelf of the library yesterday. He asked me to help you in his place. He should be back on his feet soon."

The students immediately around them had fallen silent, absorbing his story. It should help to alleviate some of the 'weak constitution' stories as well as putting Clayton in a better mood.

"I didn't know you were a friend of Phantomhive's, Mr. …"

"Butterfield, sir. At your service." Zeb gave another small bow. "Ours is a recent acquaintance, sir. I don't know that you could call us _friends_. It's just that…it's only fair that I take his place as your fag since he took injury assisting me, don't you think?"

"Yes, I suppose so. Don't think that I will accept substandard work from you, Butterfield. Phantomhive is an accomplished fag. I expect similar quality of service in his absence."

"Of course, sir."

Zeb bowed again, gritting his teeth. Until now, he'd successfully avoided the whole fag tradition. Since he entered the school in a middling year, he hadn't been assigned an upper classman to serve. Had he joined at thirteen, as most of the boys did, he might have been seeing his upper classman to graduation this year. So, there was no point in assigning him someone, now, since he would be due to receive his own fag in the near future. Still, he owed it to the earl, and he suspected that Ciel's plan revolved around being in Clayton's good graces. After all, why else would he put so much effort into becoming the fag of such a visible student if he needed to maintain secrecy as much as Zeb did?

Clayton supplied him with a list of duties and with a false smile plastered on his face, the dhampir headed for the dormitories. To his surprise, he found Sebastian there. Of course, by the time he actually opened the door, the demon was in full warden mode, enacting the façade of conducting an inspection. Never mind that inspections weren't due until afternoon.

"Ah…err…Mr. Michaelis. I'm sorry that Clayton's room is not up to par. I've just arrived to take care of Phantomhive's duties. After all, he _did_ take quite a bump to the head yesterday when he fell helping me retrieve that book from the top shelf in the library."

Sebastian quirked an eyebrow at the dhampir's story. It was as good of a cover as any for Ciel's absence. He would have to convey the details to his young master in case anyone asked.

"Very good, Butterfield. I will leave you to it."

Sebastian turned and glided out of the room. Zeb looked at the mess left behind. Sighing, he rolled up his sleeves and got to work, wondering what the demon had been doing there.

XXXX

"Well done, Butterfield," Clayton said, smiling. His countenance had improved greatly since breakfast. Zeb tried to keep the scowl off his face as he looked up from the Latin notes in front of him. He knew the language inside and out, but had to make some kind of effort at appearing to be a normal student.

"If I hadn't known Ciel was injured, I'd say he had done the work. Highly acceptable."

"Err…thank-you, sir."

Zeb frowned with confusion as the upper classman sauntered away. He didn't think he'd done any kind of exceptional job in the boy's rooms. Had the demon…? Perhaps.

Closing the Latin book, Zeb gave up his pretense of studying. He really should check on Ciel and discuss _his_ part of the deal, now that the earl had been able to rest for most of the day.

Packing his schoolbooks and papers away, he delivered it all to his room and made his way to the warden's quarters. He knocked and entered at Sebastian's mellow invite. The demon gave him a curious look, not bothering to maintain the warden façade.

"I came to see how he's doing."

Sebastian nodded and rose. Fetching a candelabrum, he led the way to the bedchamber in the back. He set the candles on the bedside table and the lump under the blankets stirred.

"The dhampir has come to visit, young master." The demon bowed, hand across his chest as Ciel sat up, rubbing sleep from his marked eye. He looked adorable sitting there among the mass of blankets, but Zeb kept that observation to himself. He doubted the young earl would appreciate the sentiment.

"I've fulfilled my part of our agreement. I wanted to discuss _your_ part of it."

Ciel's hand dropped from his eye and he blinked at the dhampir, features hardening into the stern countenance of the Earl of Phantomhive. He pushed himself back in the bed, propping himself up against the pillows.

"What of it?"

Zeb scowled.

"I assume that if I am to use your demon's services, I have to route my orders through you, correct?"

"Of course, but I am in the middle of an investigation of my own. I can't allow him to be distracted from our goals."

"What?!" Zeb took a step forward, hands clenched at his side. "We had a deal!"

"Indeed, we do. Your goal is to obtain information about the principal, is it not?"

Confused, the dhampir frowned at the young earl.

"Well…yes."

"Consider it done. I will be attending the midnight tea party in two weeks time. I will get your information, then."

"Last I checked, you weren't a prefect or one of their fags. How, exactly, do you propose to get into the party?"

Ciel tilted his head at the dhampir, a knowing smirk on his face.

"I'll be there. You'll see."

XXXX

Zeb jerked out of a sound sleep as a piercing scream echoed up and down the corridors of the Sapphire Owl dorm. All around him, his dorm mates groaned and complained about the hour. A second scream sounded through the thick walls. He leaped out of bed and ran for the door, yanking it open in time to see Clayton run by like all the hounds of Hell were on his heels. Nothing pursued him, but Zeb's door wasn't the only one open on the corridor.

Glancing over his shoulder at his groggy dorm mates, he slipped out the door to follow the panicked student. He caught up to him in the front hall where Sebastian had Clayton cornered against the base of the stairs. To all appearances, the demon was trying to calm the boy in his guise of warden to the Sapphire Owl dorm, but Zeb suspected Clayton was not seeing what the rest of the student body was seeing.

"You! Go fetch the doctor!" Zeb jumped at Sebastian's order but didn't question it. He dashed out the door, headed for the building where the miscellaneous school administration and personnel slept. Bursting through the doors, he roused the butler to fetch the doctor. Before long, he was dashing back to blue house, the man of medicine close on his heels.

By now, all of blue house had been roused and were watching the spectacle from the balustrade and stairs. Clayton had curled into a tiny ball, babbling about evil eyes and the voice of the devil. The doctor examined him, asking questions that received no answers. Clayton just mumbled nonsense and stared off into space. Bluer scowled down at him, more irritation than concern on his face. After all, it looked bad on him that _his_ fag had fallen to madness. What kind of judge of character could he be if he picked such a person to be a prefect's fag?

Finally, the doctor bundled the boy off to the infirmary with the help of a couple of students. Sebastian looked up at the remaining students and clapped his hands to get their attention.

"Enough gawking," he said. "Classes will still be held tomorrow and there will be no excuses allowed for those who sleep late. Back to bed!"

The students began retreating, mumbling among themselves about the night's events. Instead of returning to his dorm room, Zeb went to the warden's suite. Not surprisingly, he found Ciel there, fully dressed and sitting in the chair behind Sebastian's desk, feet propped up on the wooden surface.

"You've ruined his life, you know," Zeb said, sitting in a chair in front of the desk. Ciel gave him a bored look as he raised a bite of treacle tart to his lips. "Even if he recovers from whatever your demon did to him, the spectre of madness will follow him for the rest of his days. He'll never be able to hold any kind of office or position of importance, now."

Ciel chewed and swallowed, setting the fine silver fork down on the dessert plate next to a steaming cup of tea. He reached for the cup and took a sip before deigning to answer.

"I suppose that is regrettable," he said, "however, there wasn't time for anything more subtle. Sometimes, a pawn must fall to make way for the check." He lifted an eyebrow at Zeb, as though daring him to take exception to the earl's methods. Zeb shrugged and leaned back in the chair.

"Just so you know what it is you've done. I'd hate to be working with a child whose ruthlessness is nothing more than a veneer for common, selfish cruelty."

Ciel 'hmphed' and took another sip of tea.

"Cruel I may be, but make no mistake. I know exactly what it is I do."

"Well, that's a relief…I think."

XXXX

By the end of the week, Ciel sported the flower of the Sapphire Owl dorm in his button hole, sworn in as Bluer's fag.

**A/N: OMG, this chapter was EVIL! *Stomps on chapter* It did **_**not**_** want to coalesce. I think I wrote it about three different times. Part of the problem was that I wanted to pick up at the end of chapter 75 in the manga, but after learning everything I could about the game of Cricket…I still have no idea what Ciel is going to do to get that coveted spot at the midnight tea party…so I backed it up further. This fic essentially takes place just after the fire at Violet dorm and goes AU from there, because I think Kuroshitsuji's author is smarter than me. *sigh* **

**I think the final product came out well, though. It will launch me into the part that I really wanted to get to, the tea party and the principal. Yay. Please let me know what you guys think. Reviews keep me going! *grin***


	4. Tea at Midnight

**Ch. 4: Tea at Midnight**

Sebastian smoothed the lapels of Ciel's coat and inserted a blue gentian, the flower of Blue House, into his button hole. Stepping back, the demon decided his master's appearance was acceptable and nodded. Ciel picked up a small mirror and slipped it into his waistcoat pocket.

"You will not interfere unless I signal. We don't know what the principal is and if he is a reaper or another demon, he may sense you if you are too close."

"Of course, my lord." Sebastian bowed and Ciel swept from the room, the hem of his ornate cloak fluttering in his wake.

Bluer looked up from the pocket watch in his hand as Ciel descended the stairs of Blue House.

"Ah, Phantomhive. Prompt, as always." The prefect dropped the pocket watch into his waistcoat and reached for the top hat and gloves on the buffet. "I know that you haven't been my fag long. This will be your first time meeting the principal. You do not speak unless spoken to. You do not take exception to anything he says or does. Your job is to stay in the background and do not bring shame to Blue House. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." Ciel bowed as he'd seen Sebastian do, although it rankled him to do so. As an earl, he outranked Bluer, but in the hierarchy of the school, he hardly outranked anyone.

"Good." Bluer set the top hat on his head at a rakish tilt and led the way out the front door.

XXXX

The principal's office sported a makeover of grand proportions. Lengths of black cloth draped from the vaulted ceiling to the walls and floor, accented in the emerald of the green lion house, the winners of the annual cricket tournament. Arrangements of white lilies and black dahlias graced the tables set out for the guests. Candles in crystal stands and candelabrum gave the room a soft glow, the flames reflecting off of the crystal glasses, fine china and polished silver place settings. The tables looked elegant draped in black lace over satin forest green table cloths. A veritable bevy of impeccably dressed servants lined the walls, ready to wait on the whims of the nine students, principal and vice principal.

A figure Ciel had never seen stood behind the desk, staring out into the cloud covered night. He wore a black cloak of worsted wool and long, straight locks of mahogany hair fell down his back to mid-waist. If those shoulders weren't so very broad and the idea of a female principal so very ridiculous, Ciel would have thought the figure was a woman.

The doors closed behind the students and the figure turned. Pale skin graced a fine-boned face with a sharp, angular nose. It was the only thing that saved that face from being downright feminine. Lips too full, eyelashes too long, brows too narrow…although they really looked nothing alike, the man reminded Ciel of Grell. He shivered, wishing that pain in the ass hadn't come to mind.

Dark eyes danced over the man's guests and then a wide, almost manic smile stretched across his face.

"Dahlings! Crumpets! Welcome to my lovely midnight soiree. I seem to see a few new faces. I am your principal, Doctor Oscar Ashdown. Please, find your place cards and we shall celebrate yet another victory for the green lions!"

_Oh, brother! It _is_ Grell_! Admittedly, the hair and eyes didn't match, but Grell had been known to change his appearance before. Then there was the frame, considerably larger than the reapers. Grell might have changed his looks, but he never changed his size or shape. And…there was no recognition in those dark eyes as they glanced over Ciel. Certainly the red headed reaper was a consummate actor, but there should have been at least a flicker in those eyes. No. Not Grell, after all…but the two of them might have made a rather appropriate couple.

Ciel shivered as he followed Bluer to the table where the principal was pulling out a chair. Greenhill and Edward had taken their seats, alongside Seimons, the student chosen from the cricket game to attend. The students from Violet Wolf and Scarlet Fox took seats at the other table with the vice principal, Johan Agares.

Once everyone had been seated, Dr. Ashdown made a grand gesture and a string quartet hidden behind a curtain started playing soothing background music. The servants dispersed about the room, offering cakes and sandwiches, hors d'oeuvres and fruit ices alongside cups of steaming Ceylon tea. Dr. Ashdown clasped his hands in front of him and watched with a bemused smile on his face. He took nothing for himself but a small glass of wine.

Ciel had just bitten into a bit of Victoria Sponge when he realized the principal had settled his gaze on one student…himself.

"Is this Phantomhive, the one you've told me about, Bluer?"

The prefect hurriedly put down the sandwich he had been nibbling on.

"Ah…yes, sir."

"A fine name, Phantomhive. It has a long and noble history, although falling into some disrepute more recently. I understand you are the head of the household? Such a burden for a tender age."

Ciel quickly swallowed, setting his fork down as he squelched the urge to take exception to the comment about his family name falling into disrepute. After all, it wasn't completely inaccurate. The last surviving Phantomhive had sold his soul to a demon in exchange for revenge. Disreputable, indeed.

"I manage as well as I might, sir." He fought to keep his voice as humble as he could. "The Midford family keeps me in society and I have a most capable butler."

"The Midfords?" The principal cast a surprised look at Edward, who froze in the act of sipping from a teacup heavily laced with honey. He blinked and then coughed, his surprise causing the liquid to trickle down the wrong pipe. Greenhill scowled and slapped him on the back in an effort to help him hack the offending substance back up.

"My, my. You _are_ well connected."

"I think the only one that would miss him if he disappeared would be Lizzie," Edward muttered.

"Midford!" Greenhill glared at his fag who had the grace to blush at his rude utterance. Ciel simply reached for his teacup, wondering if he'd miss them if they disappeared. Well, maybe Lizzie. A little.

"Fascinating," the principal said, lacing his fingers together and setting his chin on them, head tilted a bit to the side.

_Now, he looks like Undertaker_. Ciel narrowed his eyes at the man as he brought the teacup to his lips. Maybe Dr. Ashdown was a reaper after all. It would fit their arrogance to take the title of 'doctor'.

"So how are you enjoying our lovely house of learning?'

"It's…enlightening." _And stifling_. He didn't dare say that last part out loud. Instead, he shifted the conversation to the green lions' victory at the cricket tournament. Edward took the bit and ran with it, just as Ciel knew he would, given the chance.

The young lord Phantomhive sipped at his tea between spoonfuls of Muscadine Ice, studiously ignoring Dr. Ashdown's attention. The man wouldn't stop staring at him…which could be good, if that was what had happened to the missing students. Somehow, they must have come to the principal's attention. After all, he made the decision to move them to Violet Wolf.

As the party progressed, the conversation wandered and the principal interjected a word here and there, sipping from that wine glass. When he reached into his waistcoat and brought out a metal flask which he used to refill the glass, Ciel scowled. The man hadn't eaten a thing all night, and for a man of such standing to refill his own wine glass from a flask… What, exactly, was the man drinking?

Ciel watched out of the corner of his eye as the man capped the flask and put it away. He sipped the red liquid and set the glass down. Making a quick decision, Ciel rose with an abrupt movement, bumping into the table. Tea sloshed from several cups and the wineglass tottered. The principal's hand shot out, catching it before it could topple.

"My apologies! Call of nature. If you gentlemen will excuse me?" Ciel hurried from the table, mentally cursing. The man was fast. Too fast. The glass should have fallen and he could have mopped up a sample with his napkin. Now, he was stuck looking for a water closet he didn't actually need to use.

As should be expected of properly trained staff, a servant met him at the door and showed him to the proper room. He stayed a few minutes, plotting, and released the lever so the servant wouldn't realize he had done nothing in there.

He could almost definitely say the principal wasn't human. He had his suspicions, and after observing the man's eating habits and taste for wine, he wasn't leaning toward reaper anymore. Perhaps Zebulon would have answers. After all, the boy _was_ half vampire.

The remainder of the evening passed without incident. The principle zealously guarded his wine glass from any further mishap and Ciel couldn't find an opening to obtain a sample of the liquid in another way without raising suspicion. He left the tea party with Bluer, lacking the complete information he had hoped to obtain, but with some facts the dhampir might find useful.

Zeb waited for him with Sebatian in the warden's chambers. Ciel entered the room and held his arms out for Sebastian to remove his coat.

"Well?" Zeb scowled as the boy took the time to seat himself behind the desk before speaking.

"I don't have any definite answers, but I do have some telling observations." The boy looked at his demon, an eyebrow hiked up. "He didn't eat, didn't drink tea. He had only what appeared to be red wine, poured from a flask that he kept on his person."

"Blood." Zeb stood and began to pace. "As I suspected, he is a vampire."

"The evidence is circumstantial, at best," Ciel said, watching the dhampir's movements with a bored expression. "He may be or he may not be."

"Please don't give me that." Zeb rounded on the younger boy with a glower. "You believe it, yourself, or you would have offered more information, not just the facts that point to vampire."

"Never the less, vampire or not, _my_ questions are not answered. What has happened to Derek Clemmons and the other students who have disappeared?"

"I think that should be obvious." A dark smile that could rival Sebastian's spread across Zeb's face. "He ate them."

"I think not." Ciel shook his head, giving the dhampir a reproachful look. "The principal of Weston College has the cream of British society in his establishment. It doesn't seem prudent for him to start feeding from them when there are so many others to feed from in London's gutters. Others that won't be missed. The principal did not strike me as an imprudent man."

Zeb scowled and paused in his pacing, a knuckle pressed to his chin.

"You have a point. The only other thing I can think of is…he's trying to create a companion."

"How so?"

"Another vampire. They don't reproduce easily. If they did, we'd be up to our necks in blood suckers. No, in most cases, an attempt to create a new vampire ends in death…or thralldom. For _that_ he might choose from the cream of British society."

"Thralldom?"

"Thralls…soulless automatons. Human bodies living on after death. No soul, bound to their vampire master and answering to his every command."

"They don't happen to crave human souls, do they?" Ciel frowned, remembering the Undertaker's creations aboard the Campania.

"Only if their master orders them to. Why?"

"No reason," Ciel said with a shake of his head. "At this point, we're back to square one, determining what it is about Purple House that caused the students to be transferred there."

"I suppose one of us could attempt to get ourselves transferred there." Zeb sat back in his chair, deep in thought.

"I don't think that's going to be a problem." Ciel and Zeb looked up at Sebastian. Neither of them had even noticed him leave the room, but then, that should be the case with a good butler.

"What are you blathering on about?" Ciel scowled, frustrated and not in the best of moods. Sebastian held up an envelope of cream parchment with a red wax seal.

"This just came from the principal. He has ordered that Ciel be transferred to the Violet Wolf dorm, immediately."


End file.
